Onsted's Davis named AP Class B boys basketball top player

When you're born with exceptional height, heft and agility, and you pursue an activity that will make good use of all three, there is pressure to excel.

Throw in a great work ethic, brains and desire, and the pressure to excel becomes less burdensome because that person has the ability to manage the stress.

Those attributes have made Onsted High School junior Austin Davis a target for opposing defenses and major college basketball coaches.

At 250 pounds and 6-foot-10, Davis is the center of attention, whether it's walking down the hallways at school, underneath a basket swatting shots away or laying in the ball for an easy two.

Davis' hard work is being rewarded with him being named Player of the Year on the Associated Press Class B boys basketball All-State team.

"It's definitely a great honor, but it doesn't mean as much as having success with my teammates, and this year we made a nice little run, but fell short of our goal," Davis said. "I definitely improved my game from last year and even though I wouldn't say I'm totally happy with my season, I know there is work ahead and hopefully I can improve just as much if not more next year."

Davis beat out two other Davises for the award — Milan's Latin Davis and Detroit Henry Ford's Josh Davis. Rounding out the Class B All-State team are Seth Dugan of Otsego, Dmonta Harris of New Haven, Rashad Johnson of Flint Northwestern, LaMonta Stone II of River Rouge, Dylan Carl of Alma, Lacey James of Wayland, and a second player from Milan in Nick Perkins.

Napoleon Petteway of Flint Northwestern was named AP Class B Coach of the Year.

Through the Class B regional tournament, Austin Davis averaged 26.2 points a game, shooting 71.2 percent from the floor and 74.6 percent from the free-throw line. He muscled his way to 17.3 rebounds a game and 4.8 blocked shots per game. Yet with all the time on the floor, Davis averages just 1.95 personal fouls per contest.

"We ask him to play 32 minutes for us, and he plays under control and doesn't get rattled when he's double- and triple-teamed and getting elbowed and pushed around underneath," Onsted coach Brad Maska said. "He's very mature out there, and he's a smart student of the game. He always wants to learn more."

The number that makes Davis the happiest, his parents the happiest, his teachers the happiest and all the college coaches the happiest is his 4.0 grade-point average.

"Austin has it all — talent, leadership skills, great family upbringing — he's going to make some coach very happy," Maska said.

And it could be a Big Ten coach. Almost every one of them has expressed an interest and the Davis family, including father Eric and mother Marcia, has made unofficial visits to several Big Ten campuses.

"There have been so many at our summer workouts and practices and any special sessions we set up for Austin. He wants to reach that Big Ten goal and then go from there," Maska said. "Stanford wanted to be at our regional game Monday night, but they had NIT commitments and couldn't make it."

Said Davis: "Notre Dame and Stanford and George Washington have all been here for either games or workouts that we have set up. I'm not going to say I will play in the Big Ten, because we want to weigh all our options. I'm sure during the AAU season there will be some new schools that are interested."